Yellowknife (July 23/03) - Two little girls run across the grass, chasing each other and stopping occasionally to fall on the ground and laugh hysterically.

This is what kids do in the summertime. Get outside and be active, which leads to a healthy lifestyle when combined with proper eating habits.

But are kids in Yellowknife getting outside enough? Trish Fitzpatrick, the regional nutrition program co-ordinator, doesn't think so.

She blames television and video games for the obesity that is threatening the health of kids in the North, and across Canada.

Harsh winters in the North also contribute to inactivity, according to Fitzpatrick.

She thinks healthy kids is a family issue. "The more families do together, the better it is," she says. "Parents are the best role models for their children."

She credits camps like the city day camp for teaching children how to have fun and have a healthy diet.

She spent last Thursday making trail mix with the campers, to show how sugarless foods can taste good and give them tons of energy to play.

Jo Russell is the regional health promotion coordinator. She says diabetes is showing up in young kids because "everything is getting easy to do, and requires less energy expenditure."

"Kids are statistically overweight" she says. She visits health fairs and camps to teach kids to play games and get their heart rates up.

Asked if she thinks the games she's teaching will cause a turn-around in inactivity she says, "Who knows? I'd like to see it. They have to."

As for the children, the mall was empty on a sunny Monday morning. But sisters Angela and Mercy Ndabene were found shopping with their mom.

They love the summers in Yellowknife. Seven year-old Mercy says "I'm learning to rollerblade." Her parents teach her to eat her vegetables and play outside.

"We have to eat spinach" she says, "I hold my breath and I don't smell anything."

There is still lots of summertime left in Yellowknife, and that means lots of time for kids like Mercy to get outside and go rollerblading.